P Robins  
[FYI request #28851 email]  
 
 
Dear P Robins, 
 
Thank you for your request of 22 October 2024, requesting information regarding 
communications between the Minister and any parties on the privatisation of prisons in New 
Zealand. 
 
Your request has been considered in accordance with the provisions of the Official 
Information Act 1982 (OIA). 
 
You have asked for: 
  
•  I am writing to formally request, under the Official Information Act, all 
communications, whether sent or received by you through any medium, that pertain 
to the privatisation of prisons in New Zealand between 21 August and 21 October 
2024. 
 
We have interpreted your request to be for communications relating to examining, expanding 
or otherwise reconsidering privatisation of the operation of New Zealand prisons.  
 
As you may be aware, Auckland South Corrections Facility (ASCF) is New Zealand’s only 
privately managed prison and has been operating since May 2015. A contract between the 
Department of Corrections and SecureFuture was signed on 10 September 2012 to manage 
ASCF for a 25 year period under a Public Private Partnership (PPP). Serco was 
subcontracted by SecureFuture to operate ASCF.  
 
As with other New Zealand prisons, ASCF is required to comply with the Corrections Act 
2004 and all other New Zealand laws as well as international obligations. Serco is required 
to provide regular performance reports to Corrections. This office is aware that information 
on SecureFuture’s contract is publicly available on Corrections’ website.  
 
Corrections also reports a summary on the performance of ASCF in Corrections’ Annual 
Reports, which are also published on Corrections’ website.  
 
We have identified no briefings, emails, aides memoire, or other correspondence sent or 
received by the Office of the Minister of Corrections within the specified timeframe 
considered within scope of your request. Your request is therefore refused under section 
18(e) of the OIA, as the documents alleged to contain the information requested do not exist. 
 
As per section 18B of the OIA, we have considered whether consulting with you would 
enable the request to be made in a form that would remove the reason for the refusal.  
However, we do not consider that the request can be refined in this instance. 
 
Although there are no documents in scope of your request created within the specified 
timeframe, we have considered an Aide Memoire provided to the Minister of Corrections on 
 

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31 July 2024: Auckland South Corrections Facility PPP Quarterly Performance Update (April 
to June 2024), may be of interest to you.  
 
Please find this document attached. A small amount of information is withheld in accordance 
with section 9(2)(a) of the OIA, to protect the privacy of natural persons. We have 
considered and do not believe there are any considerations under section 9(1) of the OIA 
rendering it desirable in the public interest to make the information available which outweigh 
the reason for withholding.  
 
If you have any concerns with this response you may raise them with the Office of the 
Ombudsman. Contact details are: Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 
6143. 
 
Kind Regards, 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Office of Hon Mark Mitchell  
Minister of Corrections 
Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery 
Minister of Police 
 
 
 

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